Device foe the promotion op piety



Oct. 30,' 1923. 1,472,746 1 l. COMBER J. DEVICE FOR THE PROMOTION OF PIETY, RELIGIOUS DEVTION,

AND HIGH IDEALISTIC SENTIMENTS Filed July 5. 1922 I I 16| ll a IHII'I llllll Patented Oei. 30, 1923.

TOSEPH I. COMBEB, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.. I*

DEVICE FOR THE PROMOTION 0F PIETY, RELIGIOUS DEVOTION, AND HIGH IDEALISTIC SENTIMENTS.

Application med July 5, 1922. Serial N o. 572,982.

To all whom t 'may concern:

Be it known`that I, JosnPH I. ACoivriinii,A a' citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new 'and useful-Device for the Promotion of Piety, Religious Devotion, and High Idealistic Sentiments, of which the following is a specification.

It is a well established psychological truth that contemplation of artistic representa* tions-paintings, Statuary, monuments andv the like-portraying or typifying historical, ecclesiastical and other celebrated events has an unfailing tendency to arouse and excite in the human heart ennobling and pious sentiments of more or less intensity.

My invention relates to an v'artistic representationfof this character and has for its lobjects to provide an ornate, compact and economical structure forhousing and suc-v cessively displaying illuminated pictures and views .depicting'religious scenes and events in combination with wordings and texts appropriate thereto, printed or embossed in classic style suchas church text or other ecclesiastical type of lettering on the exterior of said housing, and simple and positive means for causing the pictures to be rotated as desired by hand operation.

The general idea consistsv in assemblin i' and systematically arranging a collection o idealistic pictures so as to. portray and successively develop the sentiments to be aroused; enclosing this collection in an ornate housing having one or more openings in the nature of windows through which the pictures may, one by one, be viewed, e m bellishing the housing with artistic inscribed texts appropriate to the pictures and providing means to circulate the pictures 'wast the openingsand means to correctly illuminate them -when so exposed.

I attain these objects by the means illustracted in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is an exterior side elevation of one half of the device; Fig. 2, a similarview of the other half; Fig. 3, an elevation in section,`through the center, as shown by line 3 x 3, Fig. 4; Fig. 4, a plan view of'the base and actuatingmechanism; and, Fig. 5, an elevation, partly in section, of a modified form of the superstructure.

Similar indices refer to similar parta throughout the views. f

The base, 10j, is an ornamental pedestal provided with a circular chamber, 101, in

ywhich the hand operated mechanism Vto rotate the pictures is contained. Extending vertically from the center of the Hoor thereoi isa fixed shaft or pin, 11, terminatin inl a pointed bearing, 111'; and also pivote `to the floor at 121 near the circular wall, 102, is a lever, 12, extending across the chamber and passing through a horizontal slot, 103, Y

in the opposite side of the wall so as to ex-y tend beyond the periphery of the superv structure, 16. This lever through the stress of spring 122, secured to pin 123 from the'y Hoor, is normally held out of the diametral line of its pivot and the. shaft 11 and is re'- si-ained asilesircd by one side of the slot l 3. through the vertical slot 104 so as to project above the base and terminate. in a small spatulated handle 124. Secured to the outside of the base adjacent to one end of the vertical slot 104 is a rigid member, 105,`siini larly spatulated and so positioned with relation to the upstanding movable lever end, 124, as to afford a convenient gripping 'means Jfor the thumb and index linge;`

whereby the lever may be. drawn across the length of the slot 103.

Centered rigidly on the picture-bearing member, 15, on a vertically extending skeleactuating paivl` 125, so positioned as to noilmally press upwardly against teeth 141 and g be engaged therewith. Another spring pawl, 126, to prcvcnt reverse action of the wheel, is pinned at 12T to the floor so as to also engage these teeth. rlhc amplitude of This lever takes un upward course' 4ton frame rotatable on the point 111, is anr entire oscillation is limited by the slot to f the exact extent required to rotate the wheel 14 the distance between adjacent teeth. As the drawing shows the device as a hexa Yon, this distance is onc-sixth circle, require to change the pictures. Thev parts-shown Y Lerares full lines in Fig. 4, indicate their normal po- Sition, and the broken lines, their position,

when members 124 and 105 are being pinched together.

The picture-bearing vertically extending frame, 15, is retained upon the pivot 111 Y through the agency of an axial inverted sumption Wax candle, secured in socket 181,

and safeguarded by a mica chimney 182, is showruto illuminate the translucent pictures, whichare mounted across the openings 153.

The housing forming the visible exterior portion of the body of my ap aratus is a columnar structure, rotatably gxed on the base and consists of a sheathing 167 secured to the frame, 16. This frame is similar to frame 15, but of course larger to permit rotation thereof, and contains corresponding openings 162 and 163, over most of which the sheathing is applied. As illustrated, this covering is in the form of rectangular tablets containing the reading matter. Certain of the smaller openings, 162, are left open to form frames for the underlying pictures, and the large opening 163 is completely covered by a full 4length inscribed anel hinged at 164 and provided with a Knob 165, to serve as a door to the interior. The lower portion of frame 16, is formed so that the polygon is reduced to a circle and a small portion of this circle bent out to form a horizontally extending flange-ai ring circumscribed about the prism. This ring or flange fits snugly but rotatably between a circular wall 166 formed by a depression yin the base and the chamber wall,

102, already mentioned, over which it is telescoped. The entire structure is thus rotatably secured beneath a thin annular member, 106, secured to the base by screws. The ornamental sheathing 167 is so applied as to leave upper and lower-Ventilating apertures, 161, toiafl'ord ample draft for an oil lamp or a candle.

The cover, 17, consists of a pavilion-roof shaped cap with a hollow upstanding centialstem, 17,1, which is screwed into the trame 16. It is vertically penetrated by the central Vpin 131 the lower end of which forms upper. aXial bearing for frame 15 as already described. This pin is :fast to the eirtreine top-piece, 13, anothei quite small pavilion-roof device, and is so. threaded as to be screwed through the cerner of the cover at 172,v which arrangement lad'oirds means for attaching the top as well as providing for the ad]ustment of the pivotal bearingsl In the modified form shown in Figure 5 70 the use of transparent or translucent .pictures is obviated, as the lighting thereof is aii'orded by one or more small incandescent bulbs, 19, positioned adjacent the orifices 162 through which the pictures are viewed, and the Whole set of pictures may be imprinted upon light sheet mtal, properly shaped to be used in lieu of frame 15. Similarly the outer housing, 16, is shown imprinted and formed, with the Windows and doorway 30 stamped out of sheets, to theV interior of i which the electric lamps are attached. vIn other respects, the construction and operation are as already described.

The object in having the exterior supeI-, structure rotatable either Way in the base isf to alford means for' adjusting the view windows, 162, of any face of the prism with relation to the hand controlled parts, 124 and 105, so that the base may always remain in l any desired position. The necessary rotation is facilitated by the handles, 169, extending from the outside walls. y

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown and described' a form 95 thereof at present preferred by me although it is to be understood that the divers instrulmentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized, and that the invention is not limited to the 1" precise arrangement and organization herein shown and described, and that I hereby reserve the right to re-organize and re-arrange these instrumentalities within the .sco e of my claims. The form of my inventions own and described herein affords an admirable medium -to apply to and illustrate the well known devotion of rlhe Rosary which .concentrates attention on fifteen eventsV of sacred histo ln this devotion these events 10 are styled t e Fifteen Mysteries, and are divided into three grou s of live each. The rst group is called t e Joyful. Mysteries. and is set forth by live pictures which successively appear at'the uppermost openin or window located at the top of the le hand face of Fig. 2. The second cupthe Sorrowiful Mysteriesis picturedround the middle :tier of member 15' and Seen through the central vopening which is inthe right hand face of Fig. 2; and the third series-the Glorious 4lidysteriesf-are por' trayed by the bottom row or pictures, revealed through the lowest opening located at the bottom of the center race in Fig. 1. Hence, when the use of any articular'one ot these groups` is in contemp ation it is but necessary to rotate the housing 16 until the desired window is brought squarely to the front (which may be .any Bide ofthe base, no

operate the handle 124 of lever l2 as described until the First picture oi the required group appears at the opening and thereafter the views are, slowly or rapidly, as desired, successively progressed by the same means.

l/Vhile I have shown in the drawings the superstructure or main body portion of the apparatus in the form of a vertical prism, it is obvious that this section, with its doors, vieiv Windows, pictures and tablets might be constructed in the form of a` cylinder and the number, order and arrangement of these appurtenances varied, Without departing from the spirit of my invention, and that the outlines of the pictures with the open ings through which they are viewed, as Well as the tablets or printed or embossed -read ing matter could, for example, be circular, elliptical or arched, instead of rectilinear, without departing therefrom.

A Having thus explained the nature of my i inyention andhdescribed and shown a way of constructing the saine, without 'attempting 'to set forth all the forms in which it could be made or all the modes of its use, l claiml.. ln a device of the character described,

lthe combination of a stationary base, a

rotatable fra-me thereon a series of translucent pictures'arranged in divers groups,

cac-li group extending around said frame in a horizontal line at a different height, a,

rotatable housingon said base concealing all of said p-ictures except one of each group,

said pictures thus exposed being positioned' at equidistant 'openings around said heusing, reading matter of artistic typography permanently impressed upon vsaid housing, means to rotate said frame in one direction only, mea-ns to illuminate said pictures by transmitted light, and means to rotate said housing on said base.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a stationary base, a rotatable frame centered thereon, a series of translucent religious` pictures arranged in divers groups, said groups extending hori-V zontally around said frame at different heights, a rotatable housing on said base concealing all of said pictures except one of each group, said pictures thus exposed be- .ing positioned at equidistant openings around said housing, prayers in artistic typography permanently impressed uponsaid housing, means to rotate said frame in one direction only, a candle holder and candle within said frame, means to provide ven- -tilation therefor, and means to rotate said housing on said base in. either direction.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a stationary base, a

rotatable frame centered thereon, a series ci translucent pictures illustrating the Rd sary arranged in three groups called, respectirely, the Joyfulj Sorrowilf and Glorious mysteries, eachgroup extendin horizontally around said fra-me at a di ferent' elevation, a housing rotatable on said base, concealing all of said pictures except one of each group, said pictures thus Y, exposed being positioned at equidistant',

openings aroundsaid housing, prayers in artistic typography permanently impressed upon'said housing, means to rotate said frame in one direction only, ineens to illuminate said pictures b transmitted light,

and means to rotate sai housing.

4f. ln a device of the character described, the 'combination of asquare stationary base, a prism shaped rotatable frame centered thereon, a series ot' translucent pictures il-. lustrating the Rosary arranged in three groups called, respectively, the JOy-ul,

Sorrowfuh and Glorious mysteries, each group extending horizontally around said traineY at a' different elevation, a prism shaped rotatable housing on said base con eenling all of said pictures except one of each group, said pictures thus exposed-being positioned at equidistant openings around said 'series of translucent pictures illustrating thel Rosary arranged in' three groups called respectively, the Joy/ful, Sorrowfuh an Glorious mysteries, each oup extending horizontally around said gaine at a different elevation, a prism shaped rotatable housing on said base concealing all of said pictures. except one of each group, said pictures thus exposed .beingpositioiied at .equidistant openings.v around said hpusinig, prayers in artistic typography permanent y `impressed upon said housing, ya candleholder and a candle within said frame,

means to provide ventilation forsaid candle,

means to rotate said fra-me in one direction only, and means to 'rotate said housing in either direction. Signed at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this sixth day of June, A. D. 41922.

Josarii iQooMean.

Witnesses:

d. S. Corinna, y

Trios. J. MARTIN, Ji. 

